As DM, ever TRIED a T.P.K. -- and FAILED?

[Grazzt]

I don't usually plan TPK's (my players just have a knack for introducing them ), they just happen. Back in 1e, when we were all teenagers we played the "DM vs. players" mode and attempted stuff like that. To my knowledge, I don't recall ever having a TPK fail.

 

[diaglo]

i've never intentionally TPK'd a party.

but one of my horror stories of the new edition involves a DM who tried this.

DC 30 sleep bombs against 3rd lvl PCs. :\

edit: and we had an elf in the party....

on an open plain we were ambushed, surrounded, webbed and then put to sleep. :\ all before we could roll init or do anything.

we woke up 500 leagues away on a boat.

 

[dream66_]

Sorry, couldn't help it, but this is a pet peeve of mine. Jumping through windows is nowhere near as casual a matter as adventure movies pretend it is. From Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics:

[/size]
That said, I'm not sure my players would be at all pleased if I made them suffer 5d6 points of damage for jumping through a window, so I'd probably let it slide, as did you.

Um, I doubt there was any glass in the window. The Ability to make large sheets of glass is less than 200 years old

It's perfectly reasonable to assume that a window in a DND setting simply has shutters which are opened to the air in nice weather.

 

[jasper]

i've never intentionally TPK'd a party.

but one of my horror stories of the new edition involves a DM who tried this.

......

we woke up 500 leagues away on a boat.

I had games like this in other editions.
3rd worst game Being forced to play a part in a D&D version of Buffy the muscial episode. Of course the dm can be forgiven since he only 14.

 

[jasper]

Um, I doubt there was any glass in the window. The Ability to make large sheets of glass is less than 200 years old

It's perfectly reasonable to assume that a window in a DND setting simply has shutters which are opened to the air in nice weather.

However with standard mage farting fireballs. Sheets of glass fall into the norm as seen on TV version of medieval history.

 

[Shallown]

I had a GM once who was trying hard to capture my party in the swamps with lizardmen. he had set it up and about 2 rounds in I realized what he was trying t o do but My characters fought on. We were out numbered and the lizardmen's lasso's nets and clubs were proving highly effective until I unleashed our secret weapon. Two war trained horses we were using as pack animals. Well not to secret since I had bought them withe GM's knowledge with the reasoning I wanted war trained animals in the swamp becuase I didn't want animals that would panic easily. We weren't heavily loading them down just My gnome had a lot of crafting kits/tools. way to much for him to carry but not that much for a horse. Especially since we didn't ride them as well.

I managed to turn the horses on the lizardmen only effectively directing one at a time (poor handle animal skills) Funny thing it was always the same one who wouldn't listen. the other horse was kicking hiney. We were like 3-4 th level so A war horse was a nasty customer still. Luckily I had there tricks listed being the over prepared dude I was so I had no problen justifing thier combat abilities. It alsmot ruined the GM's plan butthey managed to eventually take us down. Just for revenge the Lizardmen ate the captured warhorses. SOB's

Later

 

[Darklone]

However with standard mage farting fireballs. Sheets of glass fall into the norm as seen on TV version of medieval history.

It still costs a lot of money... which most commoners wouldn't be able to pay.

I admit, the abovementioned story wasn't a "planned" TPK...

 

[Tessarael]

Glass hurts. When I was 17 and stupid, I kicked the wooden frame of a glass door. My foot bounced off the wood and hit the glass. I broke the glass. I ended up with 6 stitches in my ankle, near a vein. And one relatively large cut on my foot. Then again, I played basketball the next day. (I said I was 17 and stupid already right?

It's entirely reasonable to make characters break the glass first (attack standard action) then move through it. Thats a full round. Not bad. Spring Attack would let you move to the window, break it, then go through it.

That said, I don't have any issues with high AC PCs (e.g. full plate, bracers etc.) being able to ignore the glass more or less.

 

[Amal Shukup]

Glass hurts

Oh it do. In D&D terms, I'd give it a D6 - which I'd obviate if the PC took a standard action to 'clear' the window first or even if they led the way with a shield or a table or something. It IS an adventure game - we want them to do cool cinematic stuff.

As an aside: If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of HAVING to go through glass (that's not made from sugar), some tips on how to avoid becoming a cautionary tale about laceration:

1. Lead with something hard. Tables are nice... Even cracking it first makes bashing through it much easier. Not 'safe'. Easier.

2. Chin DOWN. Shoulders UP. Elbows IN. Eyes Closed. Mouth SHUT. Brows Beetled. Inside of arms and legs proteced as much as possible. You are basically in a knife fight with Newton - You're going to get cut anyway, but try to avoid non-trivial exsanguination and crippling injuries...

3. Move STRAIGHT through the glass perpendicularly. Moving side to side or up or down (even slightly) as you pass through the plane presents your too soft flesh to too sharp glass. Bad. Forward movement moves and deforms glass away from you (mostly).

Get ALL the way through it. Falling INTO the pane (landing on the shards still in the frame) is a great way to get dead.

4. Do this as quickly as possible.

5. You are probably going to land on broken glass when you hit the ground. It helps immensely if you are rolling rather than sliding when this happens. Rolling on broken glass will still cut you. SLIDING on broken glass is much worse. Sliding along broken glass with outstretched hands (instictively trying to break your fall) is about the worst thing you can do...

Judoka and Aikidoka will be tempted to use standard Ukemi (slapping the ground or leading the roll with your palm). Resist this temptation...

This is further complicated if you're also coming from a height. Mind you, if you're coming from really high, the glass becomes the least of your worries

6. Standing up after. Play this by ear. Take your time. Consider waiting for the nice men with the big rubber boots. Blood is annoyingly slippery and falling BACK onto broken glass is not fun.​

Fortunately the only glass I ever got thrown through was that security glass with the metal mesh embedded in it. The whole pane comes out rather than it shattering. No real cuts. Some nice bruises though...

A'Mal

 

[Sir Whiskers]

... but...?

... had any of the players actually read The Blackcollar?

-Hyp.

Sure, but as players we all tend to have some pretty big blind spots. They were recruiting civilians to train, but not checking them out thoroughly. They would trash a Security station, but take too long, allowing Security to send reinforcements. They would hit targets too often - which prompted Security to form a massive response unit, which should have TPK'd them.

Unfortunately, the campaign ran out of steam just when Security decided they couldn't defeat the blackcollars in a stand up fight, and instead started executing hostages until they turned themselves in. I was really wanting to see how the players would handle that one (probably by trying to kidnap one of the alien leaders, I suspect). Oh well...